We look forward to meeting our existing clients, and anyone who has an interest in discussing how we can assist their business. Please use our contact us form to get in touch beforehand and schedule a meeting or just visit us at the expo, stand C5.

A third of payments to small businesses are late !

The government has today (20 December 2017) launched the complaint handling service of the Small Business Commissioner to ensure fair payment practices for small businesses. This follows the appointment of Paul Uppal to the role of Small Business Commissioner. source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-launches-small-business-commissioner-to-help-small-firms-resolve-payment-disputes

‘protecting client relationships’ is the most cited reason for not chasing late payments…

The UK currently has the highest proportion of invoices that are paid late, with 9% written off as bad debt. Alan Laing, United Kingdom & Ireland Managing Director at Sage, said, “In 2017, it is totally unacceptable for 18% of all payments paid to Small and Medium businesses to be paid late. Entrepreneurs rely on […]

Bank of England raises interest rate to 0.5%

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) sets monetary policy to meet the 2% inflation target, and in a way that helps to sustain growth and employment. At its meeting ending on 1 November 2017, the MPC voted by a majority of 7-2 to increase Bank Rate by 0.25 percentage points, to 0.5%. The […]

Pre-action Protocol for Debt Claims

Aims of the protocol and who it applies to: On 1st October 2017 it became a requirement for any business including sole traders and public bodies, to adhere to a new Pre-Action Protocol for debt claims. This means that all businesses must carry out a stringent process prior to submitting a legal claim for an […]

The use of well managed outsourced credit control maintains cash flow and reduces the need for debt recovery

The service is carried out entirely in your brand by your named experienced credit controller(s). Whilst many of our competitors use remote workers, all of Sterling’s staff work from our service centre under a team leader and service manager. Cover for absence is provided in each team so the service runs each week consistently without […]

Sterling become Approved Suppliers to The Association of Recruitment Consultancies (arc)

ARC – The Association of Recruitment Consultancies has approved Sterling as a supplier. Sterling work on a no-win, no-fee basis with no up-front charges. In the majority of cases we are able to add late payment interest, fees and recovery costs to the debt meaning that the debtor effectively covers our fee. We are particularly […]

British SMEs are owed more than £586billion in outstanding invoices

The following is an excerpt from a recent report published by Lloyds. Whilst there are an array of invoice financing options open to businesses, they are at a cost and as our clients find, not all invoices are financed – that’s when they look for risk free no upfront payment solutions such as debt recovery, to […]

Small Business Minister & Prompt Payment

New measures to support the Prompt Payment Code have been confirmed. New measures to support the Prompt Payment Code have been confirmed in a letter sent to signatories of the code from Small Business Minister, Margot James and Philip King, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Credit Management (CICM). More than 1,800 firms are […]

Businesses and individuals seeking money owed to them are being priced out of court

Businesses and individuals are being priced out of court, warns the Bar Council, as figures from the Registry Trust show a 19 per cent drop in county court judgments against businesses in the first half of 2016. Chairman of the Bar, Chantal-Aimée Doerries QC, said: “The courts risk becoming out of bounds for many as […]